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Chapter 43
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Fire and Water Chapter 44
Surprisingly, a stampede did not spontaneously materialize. He figured that most of the people realized that the quickest way to get in would be for everyone to file in as orderly as possible, thus preventing any kind of clog. Now if only drivers on the freeway around D.C. could figure that one out, James thought. When he, Tres, Christian, and Adonis finally reached the doors the wave of tantalizing smells nearly knocked him over. Seared, roasted, and smoked meats filled the air, sizzling spices and butter, melted, bubbly cheeses and steamed vegetables, all mixed with the scent of cinnamon, pumpkin, and sugar which danced across the dining hall. His mouth was watering. Tres seemed to be n some kind of a food-induced daze and Christian and Adonis were eyeing the meats on the other side of the hall avidly. James spotted the girls at a table not too far from the serving lines and headed their way. As they pulled closer, he saw that Eliza and Svet were guarding the e
Fire and Water Chapter 45
The snow whipped against him like icy pellets hurling from the sky and the wind blasted in a blistering cold torrent driving deep into his bones. He was suspended in a complete whiteout in the middle of the air, still and steady as is the norm these days, but the blinding white was very different. Usually, he was in the middle of a thunderstorm, not a snowfilled nothingness. And normally the cold didn’t affect him as much. He shivered uncontrollably as a particularly freezing gust engulfed his body. Goose flesh rose along every inch of his skin and his teeth began to chatter noisily; his lips felt as if they were turning blue. James looked around him, still not able to see anything, and hunched inward to try and raise his core body temperature. Just as he could feel the blood in his veins thicken and chill, a deep, feathery voice surrounded him. It came from everywhere and nowhere all at once, reverberated from his very soul, and yet, its source was completely familiar . . . Hades.
Fire and Water Chapter 46
“We have much to be thankful for this year,” intoned Blakeney at the head of the small table. At the center of attention was a magnificent roast turkey. On all sides were traditional Thanksgiving dishes: mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, candied yams, cranberries in a jellied sauce, and buttery crescent rolls. The scents filled his nostrils and uplifted his spirits. “So much has changed,” He continued with a warm smile. “We have new family, new friends, and . . . new purpose. Despite all that life brings against us, we will have each other. Always.” Blakeney turned his dark-gray eyes on James. “A son in everything but a name.” Then, he swiveled them onto Adonis and spoke kindly. “And a student, a friend, whom I am proud to know and of course whom I’ll expect free tickets from when your movies are up on the silver screen.” Blakeney chuckled as Adonis blushed shyly. “I guess what I’m saying is, it’s not blood that makes a family, but this . . . right here,” he waved around the
Fire and Water Chapter 47
The grounds were bleak and dreary as James made his way along the cobble-stoned path. He had just left Blakeney’s house and was heading towards the main hall. Even though sunset was still a few hours off, a curtain of gray had been pulled right over the sky and a consistent mist hung in the air. He briefly wondered if the pacific northwest was like this all the time. From those popular vampire movies he’d seen, he figured that the was case. Whatever, James shrugged and huddled into his dark gray coat to help ward off the chill. Going introspective, he hadn’t really thought much about the change in his dream the other night. Maybe it was the words spoken or the acid-like snow eating away at his skin which made him reluctant to revisit the unpleasant experience. He had gotten used to the traditional dream—even come to recognize it as a sick friend of sorts that he would visit often—but this new version was . . . well . . . terrifying, to say the least. Being submerged in the absence of
Fire and Water Chapter 48
The rest of the day went by smoothly. His teachers, for the most part, were passing out study guides and basically just going into review mode due to the coming week. It had been a pretty successful day and James was in his last period—Photography with the eccentric, redhaired Mr. Adams—looking forward to that lovely end of the day bell, when Mr. Adams suddenly called out to him from the front of the class. “James Olympia?” Every eye hound him in less than a second. He looked up from the pictures lying out on his desk. “Yes, sir?” “Director Blakeney would like to see you in his office,” Adams said ominously. There were a few ‘ooo’s’ and even a ‘somebody’s in trouble’, as he quickly packed up his things. He was distinctly red in the face as he made to leave, because everyone was still watching him. “Give me a break,” he mumbled, stepping through the door. Breathing a little easier, he hurried down the stairs and to the front of the school where Blakeney’s office
Fire and Water Chapter 49
They walked in silence down the side hall, but as they emerged out into the main entryway, the fountain of Aphrodite bubbling in the background, Eliza jerked him to a stop. Knowing what was coming, James met her eyes reluctantly. “James…” she sighed. “Mr. Blakeney’s right. We have enough to think about without adding her to the mix. The best—” “And how are we not supposed to think about all those people being killed, huh?” he interrupted. Eliza narrowed her eyes. “Don’t get like that with me just because you’re pissed at the circumstance.” She waited patiently until he had relaxed his shoulders and nodded. Then continued, “I know how you’re feeling. If we could, I’d like to go right now and fight her, but we can’t. We’ll have one chance at this,” she pointed out adamantly, “if we blow it, we may never have another. After all of this is over, we’ll still have our future ahead of us and that’s important too. So please,” Eliza pleaded with him as she placed her hands on his upper ar
Fire and Water Chapter 50
Being in classes the rest of the day was almost an exercise in pointlessness. Eliza had not known anymore about what was going on than he did, so he was left to wonder. As the classes he had in the afternoon were some of his better subjects, he allowed his mind to prep for what was to come, even if the preparation might be in vain. No! he admonished himself, don’t think like that. This time, no matter what, he would not allow Kali to escape. There were too many lives at stake to fail. Even though it was one of those hurry up and wait type of things, he couldn’t help his mind playing over possible scenarios and outcomes like a movie reel. He had just been staring off into space, his thoughts elsewhere, when Jennifer West slid into the seat behind him. “Hey,” she whispered. He shook his head to clear it and faced her. Being discrete, he said, “Hey, what’s up?” “Nothing,” said Jennifer. “You just looked a little lost there for a minute. You okay?” “Yeah… just a lot on my mind I guess
Fire and Water Chapter 51
A woman in an Air Force uniform with strawberry blonde hair pulled tight into a bun and a warm expression on her face emerged and told them, “I’m Captain Willows and I’ll be the copilot for your trip. Director Masters already explained the situation to me and Colonel Smith and told us not to ask any questions. We’re to deliver you to Charleston and back. Drinks and snacks are in the galley. Have a nice flight.” She turned around and disappeared back behind the cockpit door.With a quiet whir, the stairs began to ascend. The moment the door has sealed shut with an audible thunk, one of the engines began to turn and a low rumble reverberated through the cabin. James looked out of the window and saw that the plane was beginning to move forward. It crossed out of the hangar, turned slowly onto the runway and made its way down to the end. He watched other types of planes take off in the distance, his eyes alight with wonder. It was a testament to the design of the aircraft as he barely fel
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